Backpacking trips can seem daunting. I sometimes catch myself thinking I don't have time to take a trip, especially if I'm saving precious vacation hours for even bigger trips.

However, each time I manage to pull myself out of bed, reach for a big mug of coffee and hit the road in the wee hours of the morning, I find I run out of excuses.

I left Greeley and headed for Wyoming — not the flat cattle land, but the Grand Tetons, more than seven hours away. I went for a weekend trip July 9-10 with my best friend, Amanda, who's working in Colter Bay at the base of the Tetons for the season.

We decided to hike the Paintbrush Canyon to Cascade Canyon Loop Trail, an 19.2-mile trek. Amanda learned from locals the trail had some of the most gorgeous views in the park.

We had to work within the confines of our weekends, so I met up with Amanda at about 6 p.m. We hit the trail in the evening a half-hour after I arrived. We hoped to hike about eight miles to the Upper Paintbrush Camping Zone. Thankfully, it stayed light outside until almost 10 p.m.

If you're ambitious, you can do the hike in a single day. I saw folks who opted for speed and traveled light. I admit there were times I was jealous of their tiny packs as I struggled under the weight of my gear, but we chose to take our time and I'm glad. I don't like to rush when I'm exploring a new place. I want to have time to linger in the beautiful moments.

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The hike began near String Lake. We crossed a marshy area that would have been the perfect spot to catch a munching moose. Instead, we encountered many clouds of mosquitoes. I was thankful to be armed with plenty of bug repellent.

I grew up hiking Rocky Mountain National Park. The snow dusted peaks, still lakes and narrow and triangular conifers were familiar to me. One of the first things I noticed in the Tetons was how similar the trees looked. It could have been the same forest, but somehow it was wilder. They seemed to grow sharper and taller, like they'd been hardened by the harsher climate.

It was dark by the time we made it to the Lower Paintbrush Camping Zone, about six miles from the trailhead. We hiked for another mile or so before we stopped to set up our tent. The hike had served up only some moderate elevation gain, but we traveled slower than we could have, stopping to admire the towering trees and small waterfalls along the way.

We talked loudly and made plenty of noise when the sun went down, as the trail is prime bear country.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jumpy. All the horror stories my mom makes sure I know before I go into the wilderness sloshed around in the back of my mind.

As it got darker, I took to carrying two rocks, ready to launch them at any unseen predator. Amanda rolled her eyes at my primitive weapons but didn't tease me too much about it. Some people sleep with teddy bears. Tonight, maybe I'd sleep with a handful of rocks.

We stopped to set up the tent once we found a good spot. We hadn't quite made our goal, but we knew we were close.

As we drove the stakes into the earth, we heard a rustling right ahead of us. Whatever it was, it was moving fast.

I dropped both my rocks in sheer panic. Somehow my brain remembered what I've always heard to do in case of a bear encounter. Without my weapons, all I had was my voice. I bellowed at the top of my lungs some indistinguishable combination of sounds. I jumped up and down and waved my arms, plotting to keep the tent in between the bear and us.

It was a deer.

It took a while to fall asleep after that nearly near-death experience, but eventually I slept.

The next morning, we packed up and hiked up the Paintbrush Divide. This was by far the most difficult part of the hike. This is where we gained almost all of the 4,000-foot elevation. We hiked through a scree field, trying not to trip on the loose rock. It was harder to see a clear trail. To get to the top, we had to cross a small but precarious snowfield. The shifting weight on my back jostled me around as we climbed. My heart raced. One wrong step and I might not be able to recover my balance. Slowly, steadily we crossed the snowfield and came up over the rocky ridge.

The Tetons jutted out into the sky, massive and imposing. Their jagged, sharp slopes looked like the teeth of some prehistoric creature. For a moment, I forgot if we were climbing into or out of the belly of the beast. But soon, it'd be time to leave.

I've climbed higher peaks. I've hiked several 14ers around Colorado. But this was different. The Tetons are part of the Rocky Mountain range, but they are rugged and they are wild. They are new.

This was the top, but it was not the halfway point. We still had a long way to go. Amanda and I sat, sheltered from the wind by a rock, at the top of the divide. We ate a chocolate bar to celebrate making it this far. We looked out onto the Tetons as the morning sun rose higher in the sky. It glinted off pocket lakes and patches of snow.

From the crest of the Paintbrush Divide, we began our descent into the Cascade Canyon. We stopped at Lake Solitude, about three miles from the divide, for lunch before continuing the trek.

After Lake Solitude, it became an endurance game. Steep ascents no longer killed my hamstrings and descents no longer burned my thighs. But my pack was heavy and my legs were tired. Now the challenge was just putting one foot in front of the other for several more miles.

The Tetons peeked out as the trail wound around an aspen grove, through a lodgepole pine forest and cut near the Cascade Creek.

After another six miles past Solitude, we came up on Jenny Lake. It was 90 degrees at this point, so we threw off our packs and peeled off our socks and shoes and some of our clothes. We jumped in the clear blue water, hoping it would sooth our aching muscles and keep us cool on the last mile of the hike.

I was tired. Everything hurt. The thrill of the adventure carried me the last mile back to the car, where I collapsed. It was time for nachos.

The drive home was long and the following workday was longer still, after I pulled into my driveway at 3 a.m. But with each sip of coffee in the office the next day, I felt satisfied I'd explored another piece of the wilderness.

Things to know

WHAT IS IT? Paintbrush Divide to Cascade Canyon

WHERE IS IT? Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

HOW LONG IS IT? 19.2 mile loop

HOW DO I GET THERE? Start at the String Lake trailhead. You’ll cross a bridge between String Lake and Jenny Lake. Turn right at the Paintbrush Canyon Trail. You’ll hike counterclockwise for the loop.

IS THERE A FEE? There is a $25 fee for a backcountry permit, which you need if you’re planning to camp overnight, in addition to a vehicle fee of $30 for a seven-day pass.